LOUISVILLE, Ky.Ěýâ The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is âjust about readyâ to propose regulatory guidance that would urge medical examiners to require that some obese truck drivers be screened for obstructive sleep apnea before being allowed to drive, an agency official said.
Under the proposed guidance, which will not have the power of a regulation or law, FMCSA will probably ask that medical examiners who perform biennial physical exams on commercial drivers refer drivers with a body mass index above 35 to get OSA testing, Elaine Papp, chief of the agencyâs medical office, told drivers and fleet officials in a Thursday session at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
âI thought it would have been published by now, but it hasnât,â Papp said. âIâm pretty sure itâs going to be published relatively soon.â
If a driver is found to have sleep apnea, FMCSAâs guidance would recommend that he or she receive a medical certification that is conditional on the OSA treatment, Papp said.
After the guidance proposal is published, FMCSA will gather comments from the public before making it final. At a later point, the agency will propose a regulation to make the OSA testing and treatment mandatory for obese commercial truck drivers.
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